The men's hammer throw was a track and field athletics

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

 event held as part of the Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, twenty-five athletics events were contested, all for men only.Multi-event competitions, the decathlon and triathlon, were introduced for the first time. The short steeplechase was lengthened slightly, from 2500 to 2590 metres, while the long steeplechase was...

 programme. It was the second time the event was held. The competition was held on Monday, August 29, 1904. Six athletes, all from the United States

United States at the 1904 Summer Olympics

The United States hosted the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. These Games were sparsely attended by athletes from outside the USA, and consequently, American athletes won 241 of 283 total medals awarded...

, competed.

Flanagan, the reigning champion, defended his gold medal and set a new Olympic record.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1904 Summer Olympics.

World Record	52.71(*)	John Flanagan	New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...  (USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... )	July 31, 1904
Olympic Record	51.01	John Flanagan	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...  (FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... )	July 16, 1900

(*) unofficial

At first John DeWitt

John DeWitt (athlete)

John Riegel DeWitt was an American athlete who competed mainly in the hammer throw.He competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, United States in the hammer throw where he won the silver medal. He would also be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in...

 set a new Olympic record with 50.26 metres. Finally John Flanagan bettered the Olympic record with 51.23 metres.

Results

Place	Athlete	Distance
1		51.23 OR
2		50.26
3		45.73
4		42.78
5
6

Sources